Tree Without Roots - History Repeats, But Not As the Same

Their coming was a bad omen on an auspicious day,

Their sweet talk swept our old folks off their feet.

The giant boats,

The white uniforms,

And the alien tongue did all the magic

The beautiful black butterfly was lured

Into desiring white stripes on its wings

There, before our very eyes, fathers gave out sons

And mothers, their daughters

At the hands of our own kinsmen,

Slaves were made of our Princes

And of our female royals, serving maids

Over the seas, we saw them sail away

Taking along our gold and our strong

We heard,

Then, how the Atlantic swallowed those who died

For only the brave made it over the seas, indeed!

And so was our plight, centuries in and out

Yet, even the longest nights shall fade for day to dawn…

And the sky blessed us with exceptional rain,

Wiping our tears and foes away

At last, we flew over the horizon

Bearing the memories at heart,

But victory in sight.

Forever celebrating our heroes

For they were the swords with which we fought and won.

Albeit, here a new generation is thus born, with a dream -

A yearning to return to where it all began

Not to redress the flaws

But to be enslaved once more!

For though not pursued,

We hasten into chains -

Chains broken centuries ago!

Willingly, without compulsion

We crawl back into cages we once struggled to break.

Achieving the foe's desire without request

Wanting an identity, it once took blood to wipe

Now, I ask, “From whence shall our freedom rise?

Who shall liberate thee now, oh beautiful black butterfly?”

Rendered rootless by our own hands,

I wonder, “For what did we fight after all?...”

Happy Africa Day!!!

BY: Rejoyce Ama Deh (_dheri jhoyce_)

Originally written on February, 27, 2020

Edited on May 20, 2026